“Watermelon Pink Snow” on Yosemite's Mountains

Pink snow has been spotted up on Yosemite’s peaks in California.

According to rangers at Yosemite National Park the pink coloured snow, which has been lying for some months, is not that unusual in the area, but now the news is out, it’s getting a lot of media attention.

The snow from last spring and winter is still lying in abundance above 2,900 metres altitude, and the pink, sometimes red colour results from an algae bloom, rangers at the national park have explained.

This particular algae, called Chlamydomonas nivalis, thrives in freezing temperatures and liquid water, living on the snow.

The rangers further explained that whilst the algae is naturally green, the pink-red pigment, called carotenoid, is created as a ‘kind of sunscreen’ to block out UV rays.

But should you eat the pink snow?

“Although it probably isn’t harmful to eat, we certainly don’t recommend it,” Scott Gediman, the park’s public affairs officer, told TODAY.